Construction work starts on Home Bargains and Tesco stores at Houghton Colliery

Work on a major retail development including new Tesco and Home Bargains stores set to open next year is now underway.

The new £20m development at Houghton Colliery is set to bring around 100 new jobs to the area.

A 45,000sq ft Tesco supermarket and 20,000sq ft Home Bargains store will be built on the former Colliery site with an opening date of Spring 2024 on the cards.

**A new Tesco petrol station will also be built on the site.**

Work at the site is now underway with preparation work being carried out to clear the site ahead of building work beginning.

A 300 bay carpark will also be built including disabled spaces and electric car charging points.

Sunderland City Council’s cabinet agreed to sell the former colliery – which had been empty for 40 years – to developers Hellens Group and Fintry Estates in 2019.

Cllr Kevin Johnson, Dynamic City Cabinet Member at Sunderland City Council, said: “The redevelopment of the former Houghton Colliery site is a project we have been working on for some time, so we’re absolutely thrilled to see work progressing on the scheme.”

Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive at Hellens Group said: “We are delighted to begin clearance work on the former colliery site with construction due to commence in May this year.

“As a Sunderland-based company, we are committed to supporting local regeneration projects and seeing the area benefit from multi-million pound developments.

“The support from Sunderland City Council has been invaluable in unlocking this particularly challenging brownfield site.”

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